OC Restaurant Quest: TigerLily in Downtown Ferndale

(Crystal A. Proxmire, Sept. 10, 2022)

Ferndale, MI – 231 W. 9 Mile has recently been transformed into the beautiful and experiential, high-end sushi restaurant TigerLily.  Located in the former Antihero space, the restaurant features comfy booths with white upholstered rounded backs that resemble sushi themselves, and the artistic interpretations of kimonos forming a focal point in the center of the main dining room.  There’s a tiki bar off to the side.  And at the back is the sushi station where meals are prepared in full view, by chefs who enjoy and take pride in their creations.

Those creations are as unusual as they are delicious.

We started off with cocktails.

My friend enjoyed the TigerLily Martini, made with roku gin and white blossom vodka. I had the Zoku made with mars iwai, blood orange, and amaro di angostura.

TigerLily offers a fine selection of unique cocktails, plus they specialize in sake – with flavors like Cabin in the Snow, Joto the Citrus One, 10,000 Ways Honjozo, and Little Lily Nigori.

Our first delight was the bacon-wrapped asparagus followed by the Otoro Tartare. The tarare was a beautiful dish of sustainably sourced bluefin tuna topped with crispy breaded fried shiso, soy and nori. This dish was absolutely beautiful and full of flavor.

For the main course we split an 8 piece Shikotsu roll, which is made with wagyu beef, cucumber, marrow butter, scallion spicy garlic sauce and crumbled egg yolk. This isn’t just simply brought to the table. The wait staff arrives with a cow’s bone full of marrow and butter which they torch at the table so the insides drip and melt over the dish. The delight of such personal service, combined with the rich flavors of the food, made this a top notch feast.

Dessert also had some spark to it.

We ordered a strawberry matcha roll with matcha cake and strawberry whipped cream, which arrived topped with a sparkler which made the dessert feel like a celebration.

The TigerLily menu has a variety of options. Among them are Ebi Chiri (tempura shrimp with chili aioli), Shitake Robata Yaki (served with scallion), Buta Bura (pork belly), Katsucurry (pork cutlet with Japanese curry and pickles), and of course many sushi choices. The TigerLily roll, for example, features Faroe Island salmon, cucumber negi, ikura, and tempura shrimp which is torched to perfection.

The Shiro-Machi has yellowtail, daikon sprouts, cucumber, cilantro, and shiso basil oil.

And the Nami has kanpyo, cucumber, asparagus, and fried sweet potato. There are also Sashimi choices, including Kampachi (wild amberjack), Hamachi (yellowtail), and Ungai (bbq freshwater eel).

Our waiter Marvin deserves a shout-out as well.  He was very friendly and full of knowledge about the products.  In between visiting our table, he spoke eagerly to other waitstaff about the food and how to give customers the best experience. This done in a space that is a feast for the eyes, and with food that is absolutely just incredible.

The cost does reflect the quality, so be prepared for a bigger bill.  But for an amazing meal and unforgettable experience we had zero regrets.

TigerLily is part of the Hometown Restaurant Group, which also owns One Eyed Betty’s, Pop’s for Italian, and Public House.  Hometown Restaurant Group is an advertiser on Oakland County Times.  They’re located at 231 W. Nine Mile in Downtown Ferndale. 

Learn more at https://www.tigerlilyferndale.com.

Oakland County Times is on a QUEST to enjoy every local restaurant in Oakland County.  This long-term project is a labor of love, supported by our friends at White Castle.  White Castle is a family-owned company that is proud to be one of only 20 large employers to make the Fortune Best Places to work list in 2022.  With steam-grilled sliders, crispy golden french fries (which I recommend be dipped in mayonnaise and pepper), fantastic slides like onion chips or fried clams, and the best chocolate shakes, White Castle is a by far our top choice for a fast food meal.  Check out their website at www.WhiteCastle.com.

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